A Day In The Sun Essay, Research Paper

Who would have ever fathomed dirt bikes would enter mainstream sports as a fierce competitor? This sport is for people who love pushing it to the edge, people who love fear. Motocross exemplifies speed, power, and agility. If you put all these factors into one and you don?t have the proper equipment to perform, tragedy can strike at any moment!

In June of 1998 Matt, James, and I went on a late ride at around dusk. Before we left the house, I had been trying to fix my back break for about and hour or so when I decided I could ride without it. All three of us head out to the old irrigation ditch behind our high school. There you can find many cliff jumps, so it is one of our favorite places to ride. Everything is going really well for most of the ride; then Matt challenges me to a race. I accepted his offer, forgetting I?m without a back brake.

We both pull up and look around the ditch and then decided on a course that we will run. At the start I?m in the lead going in to the first turn. Matt is about a bike length behind me when we come upon a hairpin turn. I?m thinking to myself, ?Slow down for this turn coming up,? but I wanted to win! The hairpin turn came up fast; I misjudged my speed and fly into the berm. Now keep in mind that berms are used to help us turn around corners. I?m heading straight for it with too much speed and no back break this equals disaster. With the berm seconds away I remember I have a front brake. Pulling it as hard as I could, I fly over the handlebars and the bike comes crashing down on top of my head. Feeling the bike plow into my helmet I promptly enter the world of unconsciousness and pain!

Rushing to my attention Matt has seen it all but can?t tell the condition I?m in. Trying to remove my helmet he sees my eyes rolled to the back of my head; I?m shaking uncontrollably. Matt is dumbfounded on what to do, we?re only a few miles from his house, so he decides to leave me there, go to his house, and call the paramedics. He returns with his mother waiting anxiously for the paramedics. Fifteen long minutes past before they hear the sounds of the sirens. Upon their arrival, I wake for moments at a time only to pass out again. They?re trying to keep me conscious by spelling my last name. Passing out again I barely squeezed out the first two letters. On the way to the emergency room, I wake up- in terrible pain with no feeling in my legs, ?Oh God I?m paralyzed!?

As they work on me in the ambulance, they come to realize that my collarbone is broken and I?m going to need stitches in my knee. In the hospital, they run several tests to make sure there is no brain damage or paralysis. Thanking God I wasn?t paralyzed and watching them sow up my knee, the doctor tells me the numbness in my legs is from hyperventilating; feeling came back once I calmed down. The doctors monitored my condition for three days and I return home.

I guess I learned my lesson that day: Never ride if your bike is not running right. They are powerful, controlling, machines and we should never misjudge their capabilities. No one person in immune to death, but we can live our life to the fullest by taking the proper precautions. I got lucky on that day in June?a day I will never forget!